Time Keeps Everything From Happening At Once
by SpeedingCars8
Summary: Sequel to Hard Feelings. Can't go back to make things right, though I wish I'd understood. Time has made things clearer now, we did the best that we could. Slash. COMPLETE
1. From Here to Eternity

**From Here to Eternity**

**-Summer-**

Squeezing Alex's hand firmly, I sat on the bench at the side of the courtroom watching Ryan's nervous face. Trey sat beside him, both with the same public defender.

The head juror stood, holding a clipboard in her hand looking from the judge down to her notes.

"We have found the defendant, Trey Atwood, guilty of the charges, which were withholding information from the police, and assistance in the murder of Christopher Trask."

The Cohen family gasped at what was being said.

"However, we recommend a sentence, of time served."

Ryan turned to hug Trey, with a smile on his face. I was happy at first until I realized that if Trey was guilty of helping, then the jury must believe Ryan had something to do with it to.

"As for the defendant Ryan Atwood, we have found him guilty of the murder of Christopher Trask in the first degree, based on premeditation. We recommend the standard life sentence."

Everyone in the audience remained silent and Ryan sat still, emotionless. After hearing a thud, I turned to my right, and Marissa had passed out, falling forward to the floor.

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**-Marissa-**

**(A Week Later, After Ryan Was Put In Prison)**

I was no longer in shock about Ryan being found guilty. I knew all along that he was responsible and I even lied and made up excuses in fear of him being punished for what he did. He told me he was bringing Trey with him to help because it was some sort of repayment for how Trey tried to rape me on the beach two years ago. As if it were some kind of good deed. As far as I know, Trey didn't participate in killing Chris. He was just there, watching. But he didn't stop Ryan either.

I figured my life with Ryan was over. I had to move on. I've gone too long bottling up my problems and drinking them away, only to learn that the problems don't just go away. They're only swept under the rug. Left to deal with later, as they build up.

The first step in moving on is to remove all reminders of Ryan that will hurt me from day to day. I walked around our bedroom, cleaning all the clothes up off the floor, putting mine in laundry baskets, his in black garbage bags to get rid of later on.

I sat down on his side of the bed just thinking, looking at the picture on his nightstand of us together at the Kick-off Carnival a few years ago. I picked it up and held it against my chest, closing my eyes. I took a deep breath and opened his drawer to place it somewhere I don't often look. Before I pushed the drawer shut, I noticed a small, square, velvet box. I curiously picked it up, and opened it slowly. I lifted a small folded piece of lined paper out, and in the box sat a thin, white gold band, centering a square emerald surrounded by many tiny diamonds. I started to cry.

I opened the small piece of folded paper, and it read:

_I did everything I could to get you here tonight  
__Without telling you why  
__Now if you only would please hold out your hand  
__And just close your eyes  
__I've been dying to ask you one burning question  
__Will you be mine?  
__From here to eternity,  
__I'm asking you to share your life with me  
__Now and forever I guarantee  
__I'll always stay by your side  
__I promise my love to you  
__I'm willing and able and ready to  
__Whatever you need I am here for you  
__And I'll always be,  
_

_**From here to eternity.  
**_

_I saved a year for this ring  
__I can't wait to see how it looks on your hand  
__I'll give you everything that one woman needs  
__Because I'm a one-woman man  
__I'll be strong I'll be tender  
__Man of my word  
__And I will be yours  
__From here to eternity,  
__I'm asking you to share your life with me  
__Now and forever I guarantee  
__I'll always stay by your side  
__I promise my love to you  
__I'm willing and able and ready to  
__Whatever you need I am here for you  
__And I'll always be  
__**From here to eternity.**_

I folded the paper back up, and slid the ring on my finger, snapped the box shut and put it back in the drawer. I rolled over and lay on the bed, watching my thumb turn the ring back and forth on my finger, as the tears streamed sideways down my face, across my nose, seeping into the sheets.

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**Disclaimer: I do not own The OC or any of its characters. I do own Christopher Trask. The letter is a song called "From Here to Eternity" by Michael Peterson. He owns it.**

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	2. Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have

**A/N: Starting now, Summer is no longer the main character. I may have her POV in this sequel several times but the story is now more centered around Alex and Trey.**

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**_Watched my life pass me by  
In the rearview mirror  
Pictures frozen in time are becoming clearer  
I don't wanna waste another day  
Stuck in the shadow of my mistakes  
I've been dying inside little by little  
Nowhere to go  
I'm going out of my mind  
An endless circle  
Running from myself until  
You gave me a reason for standing still  
Falling faster  
Barely breathing  
Give me something to believe in  
Tell me it's not all in my head  
Take what's left of this man  
Make me whole once again_

_

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_  
**Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off**

**-Trey-**

Now that the day in court has passed with enough time for the situation to cool down, I decided to go visit Alex. I wanted to talk things over. The whole reason we broke up in the first place was because I didn't have the guts to tell Alex the truth about how I just stood there, like a coward, watching Ryan kill Chris. I just stood there and watched. I didn't bother even attempting to stop him. I guess I didn't want Ryan to get angry at me again. We were finally talking. But now that Alex knows the truth about what happened, maybe she'll give us another chance.

I pulled into her driveway and got out of the car. I walked up the front steps and knocked on the door. For a minute or two I heard nothing. Then, "Coming coming! Hold on a sec!" Alex shouted. Out of breath, she opened the door, and her face lost its energy when she saw it was me.

"Alex, I-"

The door slammed shut.

I pounded on it harder than before. After about five minutes, Alex re-opened the door, glaring at me, her left hand on her hip.

"Can we talk?" I asked pleadingly.

"Oh so NOW you're ready to talk to me? Trey, I've got nothing to say to you. I can't be with someone that's not honest with me. I have no future with someone who keeps things from me. And I'm not the type to waste time on someone I have no future with. You should know that by now."

"Can I just talk to you? Alex, I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you. I didn't want you to know. I was trying to protect you. And I was embarrassed."

"We have nothing to work out," Alex said like she was rushing the conversation so I'd get the hell out of there.

"Tell me why we can't just talk? Why are you acting so different all of a sudden? Is there another guy or something? Did you find a new boyfriend or whatever?"

"No I don't," she cleared her throat, "Maybe," she said rolling her eyes.

I heard Summer giggle in the living room area. Summer probably knows who Alex's new boyfriend is.

"Okay, I have things to do, you're going to have to leave," Alex said as she started closing the door.

"_People_ to do," Summer snorted as the door slammed shut.

* * *

**-Alex-**

I shut the door once I finally convinced Trey to leave. It's over for him. And yes, I have a new boyfriend! I mean girlfriend.

I walked back over to the couch where Summer was laying, and jumped on her. She screamed as I started to tickle her.

"So," she laughed, "Who's your new boyfriend?"

"I don't know his name, but he really means a lot. He's beautiful. He's skinnier than me though!"

She punched my stomach jokingly and I fell flat over her body. She put her arms around my back and kissed me hard, leaving her lips still in place.

I lifted my head back. "When are you going to read that letter? It might be important."

"I don't know. I'm afraid to. I don't know why," she said frowning, looking in my eyes.

"Well, don't put it off for too long. I'm tempted to just open it and read it myself."

"Okay okay, I'll read it later," she said, pushing my head back down to meet hers with her right hand, and kissed me again.

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**Disclaimer: I do not own The OC or any of its characters. I do own Chris. You can't steal him unless you want a ghost in your story though. The song is "What's Left Of Me" by Nick Lachey. He owns the song.  
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	3. Rooftops and Invitations

**A/N: All of the characters mentioned within this chapter are actual characters on the show. Some of them are insignificant and only appeared in limited episodes. Donny is from season 1, in the episode where Luke was shot. The other mystery characters were from season 3 and were surfers in the episodes when Johnny appeared.**

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Rooftops and Invitations**

**-Summer-**

I sat on the corner of the bed, sliding my finger under the end of the envelope flap, pulling it as it unsealed. I lifted it and pulled out a long, rectangle, folded piece of computer paper, covered with chicken-scratch writing.

_Summer,_

_I'm sorry about what happened to you and I'm sorry that Alex was the only one who was really there for you. Everyone else around here seems to be caught up in their own drama. I tried my best to help, thinking I could have done more if I'd found out sooner. I'm glad I didn't know right away. I only tried to help. But I think I was more helping myself. Bringing up old memories of Trey and Marissa. I can't control myself when someone I care about is hurt. So I tried to solve the problem the only way I knew how. I'm writing this in a jail cell. My court date isn't for another month but I figured I'd write this for you now because I won't have the chance after I probably get a life sentence. Yes, I'm guilty. I don't regret taking Chris's life. Whether he was an old friend or not. The only regret I have is leaving Marissa alone. So I'm asking you a huge favor. It would mean a lot to me if you would take good care of her and spend some time, until she gets over this. It may take her a long time though. I think that what she needs the most is her best friend back. I know the two of you have been distant for some time now. It would help her a lot if you could possibly live with her until she's a little less hurt. I hope you can come and visit me some time. I'm going to be very lonely. Please take care of Marissa. That's all I care about._

_Ryan_

_P.S.- Marissa is two months pregnant. Don't tell her I told you._

_

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_  
**-Trey-**

Alex told me to leave and slammed the door a second time. I walked away angry and the tires screeched as I back out of the driveway without even looking. I decided now that I'm single and I have no one fucking babysitting me anymore, I might as well go out and take advantage of it.

I decided to head down to the shore to see if any of my old buddies can hook me up. Being with Alex kept me fairly sober and it damn near killed me. And this is my chance to be free and do whatever I want.

I parked the car down the street and walked down to the shore under the dock. There in a cloud of smoke, sat Johnny, Volchok, Donny, Ramsey, Ron and Nick.

"Heyyy!" Kevin said standing up and grabbed my hand, pulling me into a manly hug, hitting me on the back.

"Hey what's up? Listen, me and my girl just split. So I'm not tied down anymore, ya know? I was wonderin' if you could hook me up. I don't really know anybody anymore. And I'm dying for a few lines," I said shaking my head and shrugging with my hands out to my sides.

"Sure, you got green?"

"Yeah, how much you willin' to give up?"

"Six for now.

"Cool with me."

* * *

After a few hours of drinkin' and lines, we were pretty fucked up. The guys all split off and went separate ways. Me and Volchok decided to be assholes and climb onto the roof of the Baitshop. Like I said, we were fucked up, so we were brave enough to do this even during a concert with security guards all over the fuckin' place. 

We walked around back, and Kevin jumped about a foot, grabbing onto the ledge above the back stairs. He did a pull up and I placed my hands on his hamstrings to give him an extra boost. Once he was up there, leaning over facing me, I jumped too, grabbing onto the ledge. Unable to pull myself up all the way, I looked up at him and asked, "Hey, gimme a hand real quick." He was high so it took a minute to get his full attention. He held out both his hands leaning back, pulling me up onto the ledge. We both crawled up the tilted rooftop to the highest flat area, next to a chimney-vent looking area.

"So, what happened with you and Alex," Kevin asked unexpectedly. He was so fucked up that I didn't even think he'd remember to ask.

"Aw, it was nothing. She wanted full disclosure and I'm not up for that. I keep my business my own."

"Ah I see. Whatever," he said, sucking in the poison of a cigarette and letting the smoke flow out through his nostrils as it hovered, making his face difficult to see.

"Yeah."

"That's too bad. Did she meet a guy yet."

"Probably. But if not, no, you can't have her."

He laughed and said, "So who's she livin' with?"

"Summer," I said quickly. I stopped afterwards to think about what that even mattered. I got a crazy idea.

_Nah, that couldn't be._

We sat just staring out at the ocean, the waves rolling and crashing on the rocks and the dock we were underneath before the tide had started to rise. All we could hear was the wind and feel the thumping of the bass coming from the stage beneath us.

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**Disclaimer: I do not own The OC or any of its characters.**

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	4. Are You Nervous?

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****A/N: Unfortunately there are only going to be about six more chapters so that I can move onto other stories. I'd rather finish what I've started than move onto something new, in case people are waiting for updates.**

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**Are You Nervous?**

**-Marissa-**

I woke up the next morning, lying on my side, holding my stomach in both my hands. Feeling the sickness starting already, I stood up and walked to the bathroom. Leaving the door open for the breeze, I kneeled down in front of the toilet with one elbow resting on the lid, my cheeks in my hand. Leaving the lid up makes me sick to begin with because then I just end up staring into it.

I sat there for about ten minutes until I heard a light knock, as someone's footsteps trailed right up to the bathroom doorway.

I turned to look and a familiar voice said, "Hey, Marissa, I hope I'm not waking you up-" Trey stopped in the doorway. He stopped mid-sentence when he saw me sitting there in front of the toilet. I didn't say a word. I was shocked that he showed up here. I haven't actually seen him since he tried to kill his own brother.

"Oh no," he finally said with sympathy in his facial expression. "How long?"

"Three months. Keep your mouth shut through. I haven't told anyone."

"Oh man, it must be so hard-"

"It is," I interrupted.

"Well, what are you gonna do? You think you can handle everything on your own?" he asked.

"No, I can't. I'm getting rid of her."

"Wait, what? Her?"

"Pregnant women can usually sense whether their baby is a boy or a girl. Mine's a girl. I can just feel it."

"But what about-"

"I've already made up my mind. I can't do it. I just can't take it anymore. I'm tired and I'm all alone. I can't wake up to an empty bed then be sick for hours every morning. I don't have the strength. Not with Ryan gone. It's too much for me."

"But where are you going to have it done?"

"At one of the clinics on the other side of the sate, so my mother doesn't somehow find out."

"But do you even have the money?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "I realize it costs thousands of dollars but now that my mother is married to Dr. Roberts, I could steal three grand from her and she'd just think I went out to by some designer dress or something. It wouldn't even phase her."

"Okay…um…want me to go with you?"

* * *

_How are you doing with it?  
__Hey, are you nervous?  
__Everything that you've  
__Ever known  
__Will go up in flames  
__Tell me, are you nervous?_

_And the sky will fall  
__Down on you  
__And the world still turns  
__Round round round  
__And the sky will fall  
__Down on you  
__As your life goes on  
__Down down down_

_Everything that you've  
__Ever done  
__Will come back to haunt you  
__Tell me, are you nervous?  
__Now you know that it  
__Is for sure  
__How are you taking it?  
__**Do you deserve this?**_

* * *

We drove for hours, mostly on highways. It was dark and cloudy all day. Definitely set the mood for what I was about to go and do.

Trey looked over at me. I saw it out of the corner of my eye but I didn't turn my head to look back at him.

"Look, I know you're probably really nervous about everything right now. But while I finally have the chance, I want to say I'm sorry for what happened. I was really an idiot. But once I hooked up with Alex, I changed a lot. I stopped getting so fucked up. I came back down to earth a little bit.

Just as we pulled into the parking lot of the clinic, Trey stopped talking. He walked beside me across the lot and all the way into the waiting room, holding all the doors open for me.

I sat in the chair, shaking my leg as I got more nervous. Eventually Trey put his hand on it and stopped the movement.

The door opened and a nurse in blue called out, "Marissa Cooper?"

Once I walked into the exam room, I sat in the chair and they turned it back so I was laying with my waist higher than my head.

"Would you like the procedure explained to you?" The nurse asked calmly.

"Please, no."

The nurse lifted my ankles to place my feet in the stirrups. I looked down at them noticing they were the regular exam stirrups. They had straps that held my feet tight so I couldn't close my legs or kick around at all. I felt trapped.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to change my mind but no sound came out. I saw the doctor lift something hard and cold and he inserted it into me. It felt like he was hooking my insides and trying to rip them out of me.

After a minute or two, the doctor pulled the metal object out and it was dripping with blood. A couple nurses gathered around and looked confused. The doctor walked out of the room with the metal tongs and the nurses went to the other side of the room whispering about something. I turned my head thinking about how instead of saving myself, I was really only hurting myself.

A nurse walked up to my side and said, "Miss Cooper? The doctor has just informed us that based on his observations, this medical procedure was completely unnecessary. It appears to us that you suffered a miscarriage nearly two weeks ago."

I should have known. I should have taken another test. Why didn't I think of it? I should have made sure before I did this. Instead, I put myself through something more painful than I'd ever felt before.

I bled for two and a half weeks.

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**Disclaimer: I do not own The OC or any of its characters. The song is "Are You Nervous?" by Rock Kills Kid. They own the song.**

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	5. Tantric

**A/N: I'm losing motivation for writing the rest of this story because right now I only have one reviewer! Please R&R! I'd be so happy I'd poop hearts.**

**Warning: Sexual Content (who's complaining?)**

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**Tantric**

**(3 weeks later)**

**-Marissa-**

I woke up at 1 in the afternoon, holding my stomach again out of habit. I still have the weight I gained from pregnancy. I mean, I have a flat stomach again but I'm not quite as bony as I used to be. I'm still as lazy as I've always been though. Didn't get up. Just lay there for a while.

I heard the front door click open. I growled as I lifted the pillow and smooshed it into my face.

_I'm gonna kick Trey in the balls. That fucker never knocks._

I heard Summer's voice say, "Rise and shine Coop!"

_You've gotta be kidding me._

I took the pillow off my head, tossed it at her legs and rolled back over.

"Coop! Come on!"

"Whaaaaaat! Leave me alone," I grumbled in a cranky tone.

"Coop. We've decided you're moving in with us. You don't have to stay forever or anything. But we've got plenty of space."

"Why do you want me to live with you?" I protested.

"It'll be fun! And besides, who wants to live alone?"

"Fine," I grunted.

"Yay! Coop, this is going to be soo-"

I pushed her out the front door before she could finish talking. Well I don't think she _ever_ finishes. I looked out the peep hole and her lips were still moving. I stood there watching until she finally shrugged and hopped away. She really resembles a rabbit sometimes.

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I finally gained the determination to get showered and put my hair up. That determination disappeared once it was time to get dressed so I just threw on a pair of tiny shorts and a tank top. It's like 90 out anyway.

I figured since I'm not living with them forever, I'm going to pack as if it's a vacation. Maybe I won't have to leave this one early.

I got about 10 boxes from the neighbors and started filling them with mostly clothes, toiletries and books. Oh and shoes too. Mostly just flip flops and kids 'cause I'm usually too lazy to wear anything else during the summer.

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I finally got to Alex and Summer's place around 7 or 8 that night. Alex didn't have much closet space so I had to put most of my boxes under the bed. I didn't know why, but Alex wouldn't let me sleep on the couch.

We stayed up all night for about a week straight. We'd just hang out in the living room watching horror movies and eating like pigs. I think they're trying to keep me fatter or something. By the time the three of us would get into bed, we'd crash as soon as our heads touched the pillows.

One morning I came home after being out with Seth all night and slept on the couch because I heard some strange buzzing noises coming from the bedroom. Didn't go in. Just didn't wanna know. _Memory erased._

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**-Trey-**

I was kinda beat from going down to the shore with the guys for the past few weeks. It seems like it'd been a real long time since I've seen Alex. And every chemical that passes through my body, pushes her farther away. Makes it a little easier.

"Dude, get up. It's like 4 in the morning. The sun's comin' up already."

Volchok kicked me in the ribs so I sat up and watched him blow the dust off the rock and gather the razor blades into his pocket.

"I'm goin' to the roof while it's still dark. Are you comin'?"

"Sure, wait up," I answered, half asleep.

I stood up, trying to balance while my feet sunk into the sand.

We got up onto the roof within about 5 minutes. I glanced over at Volchok while he was looking at the water. He must have still been high because he was acting a little weird. He was smiling at nothing. What a queer.

All of a sudden he chuckled and said, "Since you fucked up with that Alex chick, you haven't had any ass in like over a month, huh?"

"Ha ha. Oh and I'm sure you've. had bitching pouring out of your pants right? Don't rub it in."

"Actually, I'm in a bit of a dry spell right now. Sucks ass," he said grinning, putting his arms behind his neck.

"Yeah."

"Well I could probably get Marissa between the sheets faster than you can say the word whor-"

"NO. YOU CAN'T," I interrupted.

"Whatever, man…" he mumbled, glancing over at me with his bloodshot, drunken eyes.

Ten minutes had passed without either of us saying a word.

It was still dark. I took my cell out.

_What a dumbass. It's only 1._

When I stuck my cell back into my pocket, I saw him staring at me out of the corner of my eye. I just kept staring at the water. The waves rolled closer each time, crashing against the docks and splashing up over the railings of the wooden bridge walkway.

Still out of the corner of my eyes, I saw him looking in my direction.

_Don't look. Don't look._

Finally I had to look back at him 'cause I figured he was just messin' around or something.

So I looked at him and said, "What's up man?"

He didn't say anything. He just gave me this weird baked look. He can't still be high, he's gotta be fakin' it.

He finally said, "Hey, check it out," pulling my arm higher on the roof, so I scooted up.

"Must be a hell of a concert in there," he sniffed the smoke coming from the metal chimney pipe. "That's some good has down there. Do you smell that shit?" He kept staring at me.

_Lights are dimmed, the aroma of the incense fills the room_

He moved in toward me confused, I backed up, but his face only moved closer.

I felt something move against my stomach so I looked down. Volchok's hand started lifting my shirt.

_Why am I letting him do this?_

My shirt lifted up over my head and he placed it on the other side of him. We started at each other the whole time.

_Roll the curtains, welcome inside, send the outside's lusty doom…_

_Slip my shirt off, as our eyes lock…_

_Presence of your electric thoughts_

He moved his chest closer, his arms shaking against me. My lips quivered a little and right when I closed my eyes, I felt his lips gliding between mine, as I tasted a hint of alcohol.

_Bashful motives so you notice how the slippery lips will cross_

_Oh, don't stop now_

_Heavy breathing, slowly pleasing, gentle strokes_

_Moistened entry, stay above me_

_Very loudly, state the pose_

_Make it tantric, I won't panic, I'll submit to each command_

_Long consumed in all of you in your demand_

_Oh, don't stop now_

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I heard footsteps just as Volchok threw me my pants.

_The concert's getting out._

"Hurry up!" he whispered.

He was fully dressed already as I was wiggling my pants back on. I shook them too much or something so my cell phone fell onto the surface of the roof. It slid toward the edge as me and Volchok lunged to grab it. It bobbled between our hands and dropped. We looked over the edge and watched it whack the top of some guy's head and cracked on the cement. A group of water polo players looked up at us.

"Hey what are you doin' up on that roof, huh? Fags!"

More people gathered in front of the Baitshop looking up at the roof so we jumped off the back.

Volchok ran in one direction. He ran in the direction of his home. I ran the opposite way, to nowhere. I had no home, no place to go, but I just kept running anyway. I ran until I couldn't even stand anymore.

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**Disclaimer: I do not own The OC or any of its characters. The song is "Tantric" by iiO. They own the song.**

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**A/N: GASP! What happens next! ;o)**

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	6. Temporary Insanity

**A/N: Only four more chapters left after this one!**

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**WARNING: Sexual content (just what you're looking for! ;o) jk hehe)**

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**Temporary Insanity**

**-Trey-**

I woke up on a bench and didn't know where the fuck I was. I reached for my cell but it wasn't in my pocket.

The sun was bright and stung my sunburned skin. I figured I wasn't far from the beach 'cause I could see water if I looked through the crowds of people walking by, glancing at me in disgust.

Teenage girls pointed and whispered but I could only concentrate on how much my asshole was throbbing.

I tried to sit up and jumped right off the bench.

_Ouch_, _that's__a tender one._

_OH YEAH. Aw, what the hell! Why couldn't I be the man?_

Then I cringed at my thoughts as last night replayed in my mind.

_Why did we do that? Why did I let that happen? Did I even want to do that? Will he remember everything? Does this mean I'm gay?_

I sat there confused. I had nothing. Nothing but a bunch of unanswered questions and probably some anal seepage. Ugh.

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**-Marissa-**

I woke up at about 11 a.m. After a long night of Yahtzee and Mike's Hard Lemonade. Surprisingly I didn't have a headache. It looked like Alex and Summer had been up for a few and were sitting on the end of the bed. I was still tired and wanted to fall back asleep but couldn't because of the nasty morning taste in my mouth. So I got up to go to the bathroom and brushed my teeth.

As I headed back into the bedroom to see if I could get a couple more hours of sleep, Alex and Summer were now sitting Indian-style on the floor in front of the bd. They looked like they were plotting something so I just gave them a weird glance as I pulled the sheets back and plopped right in the middle of the bed.

I just lay there looking forward where they were sitting even though their heads weren't visible because of the bed's height. All of a sudden, items of clothing were flying in the air, hitting the closet door, and forming a pile on the floor in front of it.

I went to sit up and ask them what the hell they were doing.

Then there were two mountains moving on either side of me under the blankets. I felt a hand on either side of me grabbing a strap of my underwear, flinging them off of me as each side came untied. There was some muffled giggling.

"What are you guys doing?" I said, half laughing and half nervous.

I bent my knees up and straightened them out because one of them was tickling my feet.

Then only Summer emerged from the sheets, over me, laughing like she was going to pee herself.

"Hi Coop!" she blabbed and kissed me, snorting a little. I didn't move my lips. I just sat there in shock.

_What just happened? Did you kiss me? 'Cause that's a place we've never been until now and I don't know how it's gonna be after this. Do we pretend these feelings don't exist at all? Or do we fall? My confusion shows whenever you get so close. I stumble, I stutter, forget what you say. I'm nervous, I wonder why I'm acting this way. It's temporary insanity, what's going on with you and me? Is it real or is it fantasy? Forever or just temporary? You made a move, don't change your mind. Too much to lose, we've crossed the line between friends and something more. Was it all a big mistake? And if it was, it's much too late to undo and I don't really want to. I'll let you go but I still don't know how I feel about you, what this really means. It's crazy to want you. Is it meant to be?_

I sat there frozen for what seemed like ten minutes even though I knew Summer was probably only joking.

_Was she planning that? Did it even phase her at all?_

Then I heard a familiar buzzing noise.

_Oh God._

Out of nowhere a rubbery pink thing smacked me hard on the cheek. Summer burst into laughter.

"Okay, wasn't supposed to happen," she said giggling.

"You've just been mushroom stamped!" Alex shouted pointing at my cheek.

"Damn you, do I have a mark?"

"Maybe," Summer snorted.

I rolled my eyes and pulled the sheets up over my head.

_Bzzzzz…_

"Umm…what are you guys doing now? Oh-"

They were all over the place and it was dark under the covers so I just closed my eyes, my breath shaking.

We heard the bedroom door click open so all 3 of us sat up, our sex hair all over the place, sheets hiding our naked upper bodies.

Seth walked into the room.

Seth put his hand to his mouth and his eyes grew wider.

I expected him to run out of the room screaming or something but he walked to the end of the bed kneeling on the floor until we couldn't see him anymore.

Alex and I looked at each other, confused then about 3 inches of his head popped up, only his hair and eyes visible.

"Seth?" Alex asked, her face twisted with confusion.

From the end of the bed he whispered, "Shh, I'm not here. Go about your business…"

"SETH."

Seth stood up grinning. "I-you-Summer-were-what?-limbs everywhere-um…"

"You can leave now," Summer said, her eyes motioning toward the door."

Seth had a hand on his crotch, rubbing his jeans.

Alex and I looked at each other again.

"Seth, get out!"

"I, I have this itch, I'm just, I'm taking care of it…"

Alex stood up, her bare body slipping out of the sheets, stomping toward Seth. Seth's eyes were locked and he didn't budge until she started pushing him through the bedroom doorway.

"Can I use your bathroom? I, I kinda have a lot of using the bathroom to do. But continue wherever you left off. I won't listen, so don't worry, you can make all the noise you want. Loud, loud noises…"

Finally Alex pushed him into the bathroom and shut the door. The three of us just sat there looking back and forth at each other.

"He probably came to see if we wanted to visit Ryan," Alex explained.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" we heard coming from the bathroom.

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**Disclaimer: I do not own The OC or any of its characters. The song is "Temporary Insanity" by Alexz Johnson. She owns it.**

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	7. The Visit

**A/N: This chapter takes place later the same day as the last chapter.**

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**The Visit**

**-Trey-**

Later that day I could finally walk straight. Sooo, I decided to stop at the Cohens' since I have no other place to go.

"Trey! Come in! Would you like some dinner?" Kirsten said, excitedly, pushing me to sit down at the table.

"Hey man," Seth said, "I tried calling you to see if you wanted to go visit Ryan tonight, but Luke picked up. He said 'hey queer', so I figured I had the wrong number."

_Oh great, I hope he wasn't there._

With perfect timing, the doorbell rang and Kirsten welcomed in a tall blonde guy in surf shorts, no shirt.

"He clearly shaves his chest," Seth whispered when he leaned over to my ear.

"Would you like something to eat?" Kirsten's voice echoed in the hall.

"Actually, no thanks, I gotta get goin' to a party soon. Do you mind if I just talk to Trey for a minute?"

"Sure! No problem!" Kirsten walked into the dining room. "Trey honey, Luke wants to see you for a minute," then she sat down at the table.

I stood up and walked into the hall.

"It'd kinda loud in here," Luke said and opened the front door, stepping down onto the driveway.

_Oh no, _I thought,_ he must have been at the Baitshop concert this morning._

He pulled my cracked phone out of his pocket and handed it to me. I closed my eyes preparing to be harassed or called a faggot or something.

"Look man, it's cool. I'm over that," he said, tapping me on the side of my shoulder.

"Just so you know, I'm not ga-"

"Yeah I know," he interrupted. "That's what we all say. You don't have to tell me."

_We?_

"Alright man, I gotta get goin'. I put my number in your phone. It's speed dial 2 after Alex. So call me when you figure things out. You can always come live with me and my dad."

_Figure things out?_

"Alright, thanks man," I said and he shook my hand. I watched as he hopped into his Land Rover and sped away. I stood there breathing in some fresh air before going back inside.

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"That was some good food Kirsten."

"Why thank you, Trey! You should come over and eat more often," Kirsten said, smiling.

"Yes mother, delicious. So, who catered it for you?"

"Seth," Kirsten said, shooting him an evil glare.

"Aw, man you gave it away," I said laughing.

Sandy laughed secretively behind his glass of wine.

Kirsten returned to the dining room and sat down after carrying all the dishes into the kitchen.

"So, is Marissa all moved in with Summer and Alex yet?" Kirsten asked, concerned for her.

"Yes she has made herself quite at home," Seth said grinning a little. Everyone looked over at him strangely.

"That's good," she said, "she'll be much happier if she's not all alone."

"Yeah," Seth mumbled, "I went over there to ask if they'd like to visit Ryan but they had their hands full. Very very full."

Everyone looked confused.

"Actually," he smiled, looking at his watch," They might even still be busy right now," and he shook his head.

I saw a smirk emerge across Sandy's face like he decoded Seth's stupidity. He his it behind a glass of wine again.

No one knew what the hell the girls were so busy doing but for some reason, Sandy kept raising his eyebrows at Seth. They did it back and faith like they were having a conversation with their eyes. Like father, like son.

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We walked through the metal detector after I took off my belt and the dog sniffed me. Wow, good thing 'Chok took all the shit when we were done the other night.

Seth and I walked down a hall of cells and the guard opened the barred door. We walked in and Ryan was sitting there on his bed. He pointed for us to sit in the chairs facing him.

His eyes were outlined in black and blue. There were a couple fresh gashes on his cheeks and his face and hair looked dusty. I started to hate myself again for not stopping him. For allowing him to do this to himself.

Ryan looked expressionless. He didn't look like himself.

"How are you doing?" Seth said, distraught.

"I'm fine," Ryan said quietly.

I looked over at Seth, who was looking even more upset than I was. Well, technically he was more of a brother because I came around pretty late. Oh and I got him arrested.

"How's Marissa?" Finally Ryan had some emotion in his look.

"Well," Seth said, "Alex and Summer are definitely keeping her busy."

"But how's she doing?"

"She appeared to be just fine." Seth was still grinning about it.

"Okay man, what's so funny!" I couldn't take it anymore.

"Do you really wanna know," he asked, squinting.

"YES," Ryan and I shouted simultaneously.

"Well you see, I went over there this morning to ask them if they wanted to come along tonight. I wasn't even sure if they'd be home 'cause it was lunch time. But I walked in 'cause it was lunch time. But I walked in 'cause the door wasn't locked and when I walked into the bedroom there were girls and limbs everywhere and buzzing and when I looked at them upside-down they looked like birds pecking at each other and w-"

"Seth, we get it. Man I knew it!" I said feeling betrayed.

"No you didn't, um hellooo…" Seth raised his hands and shook his head.

"Shut up," I said aggravated.

"Are you shittin' me?" Ryan looked shocked.

"My thoughts exactly, as I held myself," Seth said laughing, "I think it tried to jump out and ask them if he could join."

Ignoring Seth's stupid comments I asked, "Why didn't Alex just tell me when I asked her if she found someone new! I would have told-" I stopped in the middle of my sentence remembering what I did last night. To correct my sudden pause, I quickly asked how long it's been going on.

"How would I know?" Seth shrugged.

"Did Marissa get my note?" Ryan asked like he was hoping she did.

"I don't know, what was it?"

"It was inside the drawer in a box; a jewelry box."

"Did you plan on proposing to her?" Seth asked, surprised.

"Yeah, but who knows now. She's clearly found something else."

"Wait a minute!" I screamed. The guard looked over at me. I waved and apologized. "I saw her wearing a ring. It was green and white."

"Trey? Those would be emeralds and diamonds. Genius…" Seth said sarcastically and I whacked his arm. He winced, rubbing his booboo like a baby.

"Really? What'd you see her for?"

Not wanting to make her confession for her I made up an excuse. "Oh, I went over to visit and make sure she was doing okay after you left."

To change the subject I quickly said, "Ryan. You know more than everyone that Marissa goes through phases. Phases are temporary. This phase will end eventually. But between all of these phases, who does she always return to? Ryan, you're the only permanent thing in her life."

The guard walked in. "Time's up."

He escorted us out and as we walked away, a man in a suit, holding a briefcase and appeared to be a lawyer, walked into Ryan's cell.

"Ryan, we need to discuss your case. It's been re-opened due to some new discoveries…" The man's voice trailed off as the double doors closed behind us.

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**Disclaimer: I do not own The OC or any of its characters.**

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	8. Screenwriting an Apology

**A/N: This chapter takes place about a week after chapter 7.**

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**Screenwriting an Apology**

**-Trey-**

I haven't talked to anyone in about a week. Especially not Volchok. I'm not quite sure where I stand with that situation anyway.

So I dcided to go see Alex. It's dinner time, so hopefully she doesn't have her "hands full" again. And I want to see if she'll lie to me about whether she's found someone new.

When I arrived at Alex's place, I knocked on the door and she opened it right away. She looked much happier to see me than last time.

"Trey! Come on in!" she said." Marissa and Summer are at the Cohen's talkin' to Kirsten or something."

"Oh okay," I said, surprised she even let me through the door."

"You can have a seat right over there," she pointed to the couch. It was a new one. It was green.

"I like how you redecorated everything."

"Thanks! Green was the only color the three of us could all agree on for a theme."

"Looks good. I like the curtains."

"What, are you gay?" Alex laughed. "Since when do you care about curtains!"

I cleared the nervous lump from my throat. "They stand out a lot more now."

"Hey, whatdya want to drink? We've got Mike's Hard, Grape Smirnoff, Kahlua, Sierra Mist, Birch beer…," she listed them off, with her head lost in the refrigerator.

"Birch beer's fine. I've had enough alcohol lately."

She poured a glass, handed it to me and mixed some Smirnoff with grape soda. She came over and sat in the chair next to the TV, facing the couch.

"Jesus, nice TV. It's taller than me."

"Yeah, Marissa bought it with some money she mooched off her mom."

"Yeah, she does that quite often, doesn't she?" I asked, remember the two thousand dollar abortion she didn't even need.

"Yeah," she chuckled. "I'm definitely not complaining though."

"Anyway, I just wanted to see how you've been." I lied.

"Oh okay. It's funny because I almost called you right before you showed up!"

"Oh…why didn't you?"

"Well I ended up forgetting," she said.

"Oh okay, what did you need to talk to me about?"

"Well, I don't really know where to start…remember when you asked me if I had a boyfriend?"

I knew what she was going to tell me but I acted like I didn't.

"Well, I was telling the truth. I don't have a boyfriend."

"Okay," I nodded.

"I have a girlfriend. When we let Summer move in with us, you faded farther away and she moved in closer. I didn't expect it. It just happened that way-"

"I had sex with Volchok!" I screamed, unable to hold it in any longer.

"I'm sorry I didn't just tell you the truth before-wait, WHAT!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to tell you yet."

"You, WHAT? You messed with that sceezy shit?"

"Well, I ddn't mean to…It just sort of happened…"

"It's okay, shit happens," she said, shrugging it off.

"Well," I sighed," The real reason I came to see you was to let you know that I'm moving away."

"What? When?" she asked, looking worried.

"I'm moving in with Luke and his dad. I'm packing tonight and leaving tomorrow morning."

"But why?" she argued.

"Well, I don't know if you'll understand. I don't really have anyone here for me anymore. I mean, you're with Summer now, and ryan's never coming home…and Luke offered me a room in his house. I called him a couple hours ago, so he'll be expecting me in the morning.

"Well," she said, getting teary, "It'll be good for you to have some space to figure everything out…just remember you've got people here who would love for you to stay, or at least visit."

"Alright." I blinked back some tears, and swallowed so I wouldn't start to cry when she hugged me tightly.

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About an hour later, I figured I'd head over to the Cohens' house again while everybody was there. That way I could do a quick, general goodbye.

So I showed up and went through the front dor since it was unlocked and I heard people talking out back by the pool house.

I saw a light in Sandy's office so I saved as I walked by and something caught my attention. I pretended to walk by the other direction. I stood against the wall next to the doorway. He was talking on speaker phone.

"What do you mean they re-opened the case?"

"Sandy, it's a good thing. Nothing worse can happen to your client. He could even be released."

"How do you figure," Sandy's voice was deeper.

"The detectives within the L.A.P.D. uncovered the evidence files. Apparently fingerprints were overlooked during the primary. They didn't bother conducting a follow-up so we've got some serious shit on them."

"What was found recently? Anything worth pursuing?" Sandy asked, as I heard his pen scratching against a notepad.

"Well, Sandy, it appears that our best piece of info at the moment is the autopsy report. It must have been convenient for the prosecution to say the victim died from head injuries and loss of blood. But he died of asphyxiation."

"Ah," he said," and it was consistent in both confessions that neither of the boys strangled the victim at any point during their encounter. Boy, will the wife and kids be happy to hear this one!"

"No, no, Sandy, you can't do that just yet. I've decided our best bet is to make an agreement. Trying to find the actual perp would make the prosecution look really bad and of course they wouldn't want that! So I'm going to write a proposal for Ryan's conviction to be reversed in exchange for us keeping their screw-ups on the low."

"Sounds good to me," Sandy agreed.

"Alright, I'll let you know the rest of the deal tomorrow at the office."

_Click._

I walked away quickly.

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**Disclaimer: I do not own The OC or any of its characters.**

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	9. The Transition

**The Transition**

**(A month later)**

**-Ryan-**

_You say you recall nothing at all  
That could make you come back down  
You made up your mind to leave it all behind  
Now you're forced to fight it out  
You fell away from your past  
It's following you now  
You left something undone  
It's now your rerun  
It's the one you can't erase  
You should have made it right  
So you wouldn't have to fight  
To put a smile back on your face  
You fell away from your past  
It's following you now_

I sat on a bench thinking for hours. I didn't know what time it was. I never knew. And I didn't care. I can never sleep once all the lights are out. Darkness doesn't mean time for sleep here. It means watch your back. So I sat on my bench, up against the wall since I was moved to an open room, filled with probably about 50 guys. Half, guys like me, the other half, guys like me who turned into something else just to survive in this place.

**-Flashback-**

I just arrived in the prison. It was my very first night, and it was clear that al the other guys knew that. They stood and stared at me through their cell doors as the guards escorted me into one of my own.

I spent that night in the bottom of a bunk bed, not falling asleep. All I could do was stare into pitch black darkness.

The next morning, half of us gathered into a line leading to a long hall of showers. The guards shoved us in one by one and closed the door behind us. I was the last in line so the guys who already had showers stared at me as I walked past them. Voices echoed behind me.

"Hey look everybody it's the new guy!" someone yelled.

"Hey, why don't you come over here and introduce yourself?" he instigated.

I ignored their comments but turned around to avoid leaving my back to them. I began to wash my hair while standing against the shower wall. Leaving my eyes open, the shampoo stung them.

"Oh come on now. What are you a bitch?"

I gave an angry glare.

The guy ran at me so I moved over a few feet right at the last second and watched him bounce off the metal wall.

I put my fists up when they guy behind him charged at me in a rage. He grabbed my neck and threw me to the floor. My knees hit the cement hard. I attempted to stand up and fight back but he kicked me in the ribs so I didn't have a chance. I fell onto my back kicking my legs at him to keep him away. Someone behind me dragged me up quickly by my arms. I was stupid to think they were trying to help me. Out of nowhere I was slammed against the wall, my back was punched several times. My head kept getting shoved into the wall and then I was raped by numerous different people.

When they were finally through with me, I dropped to the floor. As the men filed out of the shower hall, I just lay there, barely breathing as the blood branched out through the water that flooded the drains surrounding me.

**-End Flashback-**

_Twenty years, it's breaking you down now that you understand there's no one around. Take a breath, just take a seat. You're falling apart and tearing up the seams. Heaven forbid you end up alone and don't know why. Hold on tight, wait for tomorrow, you'll be alright. It's on your face, is it on your mind? Would you care to build a house of your own? How much longer, how long can you wait? It's like you wanted to go and give yourself away. Heaven forbid you end up alone and don't know why. Hold on tight, wait for tomorrow, you'll be alright._

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After a night of the usual lack of sleep, a man in a suit walked in followed by Sandy Cohen.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, looking at Sandy in surprise.

"Well, Ryan, we've got some great news for you."

"But first we need to ask you some questions," the other man interjected.

"Okay."

Sandy said, "Tell us the last thing you or Trey did to Christopher before leaving his house."

"Trey didn't do anything. The last thing I did was hit his head with the chair. Then we figured he was dead so we ran.

"You're sure you did no kind of choking or strangling to him at any point that day?"

"Right. I'm positive. Ask Trey if you have to."

"Ryan, did you see anyone nearby Chris's house as you were leaving?"

"Well, no one specific. I mean it's Chino, so there are people everywhere. It's crowded like a trailer park. But no one too close by."

"Okay, that's all. You're free to go."

"What?" I didn't understand.

"Ryan," Sandy explained, "Chris died of asphyxiation. If neither of you choked or stranged him, than you're only guilty of assault, not murder."

They let me walk out of the prison doors like nothing ever happened.

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**Disclaimer: I do not own The OC or any of its characters. I do own Christopher Trask. The songs are "Fall Away" and "Heaven Forbid" by The Fray. They own the songs.**

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	10. Time

**A/N: This takes place the same day Ryan is released from prison. He took a bus home since Sandy left long before inventory. This is the last chapter guys. Hopefully it's not too random lol.**

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**Time**

**-Marissa-**

I was sitting on the couch watching TV after Summer and Alex left to go grocery shopping. I went last time so it's their turn now.

I was finally just dozing off when the front door swung open and Ryan walked in. I could hardly believe my eyes. I didn't even recognize him at first. He's usually clean shaven but his hair formed a goatee around his mouth and was no long blonde. It looked more like a light dusty brown shade. His blue eyes looked red and tired. But when he looked at me, a smile spread across his face like it was the first one in about a year.

When I realized it was him, I just sat there staring in disbelief.

_Is this real? Am I dreaming?_

"Ryan?"

"Hey," he answered quietly.

_Oh my god it's really him. Did he escape?_

He sat down next to me.

"What are you doing here?"

"They let me go."

"What!"

"I guess I didn't actually kill him."

"Then who did?"

"I don't know. Neither do they. Apparently someone went there after I left."

"Wow…" I said, spacing out.

"A couple cops were saying that some witnesses saw a skinny dark-haired guy leaving the house after I did. I think that's bullshit because they probably saw Chris before the whole thing even happened. And he was definitely beyond dead after we left. He didn't like get up and walk away after I knocked his ass out with a chair, that's for sure."

"Are they going to investigate it?"

"No I guess not. The release was some kind of agreement sandy made with somebody. I just think of it as I got lucky," he shrugged.

"Well that's good enough reason for me," I said.

He leaned over and put his arms around me waist, holding me close.

Ryan lifted my left hand, smiled lightly and kissed my ring finger. He pulled me even closer than I thought was possible and we stayed like that for about an hour.

Then the door swung open again.

"Oh my God! CHINO!" Summer freakedout, dropping all the grocery bags in the doorway and ran towards us.

Alex followed in after her. "Oh look, it's Mr. Girlfriend Stealer," Alex mumbled as she tackled him.

Ryan laughed and said, I wouldn't be able to steal girlfriends from you if you weren't all a bunch of lesbians!"

"Hey who told you!" Summer shouted too loudly in Ryan's ear.

"Seth."

Summer rolled her eyes. "That ass."

Ryan shifted his right leg so Summer fell off the couch and bumped her ass on the coffee table then landed on the floor.

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**(One Year Later)**

**-Seth-**

The music started.

In a line on their left stood myself, Trey, and Luke.

In a line on their right stood Summer, Caitlin, and Alex.

Marissa and Ryan stood facing each other hand in hand. Ryan was clean shave. His hair was carefully trimmed. He looked thing yet muscular in his tall black suit with a peach tie and a white button down shirt hidden. Marissa stood looking in his face, her eyes filling with water, sun-kissed skin and long layered and wavy chestnut hair. Her long, flowing, white dress showed her shoulders which glowed under the dimmed lights.

Ryan's hands carefully lifted the veil up over her head. The priest beganto speak.

Looking past the peach, yellow, and white rose-covered alter toward the sand, I saw the row of parents. Mom and Dad, Mr. Roberts and Julie, Jimmy Cooper, Mrs. Atwood…

Dad sat staring proudly at Ryan, an innocent man.

**-Flashback-**

I sat behind the fence and waited until the headlights faded. I hope they don't see my car. The car sped away and I climbed back over the fence into the front yard, glancing back and forth to make sure I wasn't spotted. I opened the door and looked around at the scattered furniture and the pool of blood surrounding who I assumed to be Chris.

His eyes were open looking at me. "Help me man," he struggled to speak as he curled his legs in toward his stomach in pain.

"Help you?" I kneled down and pressed my thumb and index finger on either side of his wind pipe. His hands couldn't pry mine away. For the first time in my life, I was stronger than someone else. His face began to turn purple as all the veins in his forehead filled. I leaned down with my mouth next to his ear.

"Summer didn't belong to you," his eyes still looked up to mine," but you stole a piece of her anyway. A piece of her you didn't deserve." I pressed his throat harder. "So now you're giving it back to her." I released my hand and watched the life leave his face, his eyes remaining open so he could stare at the world and the mistake he made.

**-End Flashback-**

**-Alex-**

"You may kiss the bride." Their faces locked for what seemed like forever.

Summer, Caitlin, and I stood holding hands, watching the best thing that's ever happened to Ryan and Marissa. Anyone who's truly loved either one of them knows deep down that they were always meant for each other.

I stood staring at the ocean, thinking about how everything seems to work out in the end. People heal over time. I've accepted it and I have faith in it. From now on, all we can do is look ahead. I mean, there's no use in looking back. It distracts us from what we have and what we love. But we've always been stuck dwelling on the past. Especially Summer and Marissa. It's just that it's so much easier than looking right here and now. The present always seems so unreal. Especially in the eyes of Marissa Cooper. But now she's Marissa Atwood.

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**-Trey-**

I can't believe how afraid we've all been at some point to show who we really are inside. We've all thought the same thing. We all wish people would accept us for who we are. We expect people to have faith in us. But maybe we need to have more faith in everyone else. Faith that they really are here for us. But most of all we should have faith in time. Time is what spread out everything that's happened to us. Time leaves room for change and change is what helps us move on.

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**A/N: The end! I know it was dumb but I have no experience. Blah. Please read and review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The OC or any of its characters. I do own Christopher Trask. The song is "Circle Dance" by Bonnie Raitt. She owns it.**

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_I don't why it should be so hard giving up this circle dance_

_Warn out steps from long ago don't give love a chance_

_It's a bitter heirloom handed down_

_These twisted parts we play_

_I'm not her and you're not him_

_It just comes out that way_

_Can't go back to make things right_

_Though I wish I'd understood_

_Time has made things clearer now_

_We did the best we could_

_I'll be home late, that's what you'd say_

_And I little kid believes_

_After a while I learned that love_

_Must be a thing that leaves_

_I tried so hard just to hold you near_

_Was as good as I could be_

_Even when I had you here_

_You stayed so far from me_

_Can't go back to make things right_

_Thought I wish I'd understood_

_Time has made things clearer now_

_We did the best we could_


End file.
